This past weekend was our student conference at Action Church called Momentum. And over the course of three days students in high school and middle school underwent life change. We had the opportunity to listen to amazing speakers with amazing worship and fully emerge ourselves in the presence of God. Watching 200+ students worshiping every night almost brought me to tears because of how full their hearts are and how big God was moving through Momentum Conference.
On Friday, Pastor Devon Frye spoke about how we are young and on fire for Jesus and laid out some really good steps on how to keep our fire burning throughout the new school year or whenever we feel low on fuel. So today I really felt the urge to share those reasons for anyone that wasn't at Momentum or for someone who needs a pick-me-up.
The theme verse is Leviticus 6:12-13 NLT
Meanwhile, the fire on the altar must be kept burning; it must never go out. Each morning the priest will add fresh wood to the fire and arrange the burnt offering on it. He will then burn the fat of the peace offerings on it. Remember, the fire must be kept burning on the altar at all times. It must never go out.
Some background context is that during the old days, when the followers of God would sin, they would need to present a "guilt offering" to the Lord. They would get cattle (lambs, rams, etc.) and lay their hands on this animal as a symbol of transferring their sin over. By ceremonially slaying the animal, it was temporary forgiveness to the sin they had committed. These verses have to do with the burning of the body and upkeep that the priest would have to do. He was in charge of making sure that fire never went out.
Meaning that we are in charge of our own fire. We have to fuel ourselves. Devon made a great point that there are believers and students and people who think they are fire, but are really just feeling the heat of those around them. Which is so powerful, because it can become so easy to feed off of others success and forget that when we get to heaven it is just you and God. And you will come to him with what you have done, not what your friends have done.
Having a general English knowledge and passing AP Language, I know that whatever gets repeated is pretty important. So, what stuck out the most was that "it must never go out". And this really refers to our love and passion for Jesus. He has given his life to pay for all of our sins and the least we can do is love him like there is no tomorrow. And we have to continually fuel that love thorough many different ways.
Devon laid out three ways to sustain the fire within us:
First is Fuel. Simply put, we need something to burn on every single day. AND IT IS THE WORD OF GOD!! Reading the Bible is a simple thing anyone can do and it can and will change your life. Diving deeper into his word will fill you up with not only knowledge, but affirmation that he can and will work in your life.
Second is Oxygen. And our friends and friendships we make are what helps us to keep going. I would consider this one of the most important factors because you need friendships to set yourself right. Proverbs 13:20 lays this thought out very plainly.
Walk with the wise and become wise; associate with fools and get in trouble.
If we surround ourself with people that belittle us or act out in dumb ways, our behavior will start to reflect theirs. Then when things go wrong we blame the situation or that the "timing wasn't right", when in reality it wasn't something but someone who tripped you up. And for far too long we let toxic relationships get the best of us, which needs to end! I know it is hard (and not very fun) but cutting off those relationships now will keep the toxins from spreading too far.
If you are debating on keeping a friend ask yourself these 4 questions. What does the Bible say? Do they draw you closer to Jesus? What does your spiritual authority say? and Do I have peace? With these questions take the time to really answer them and dive deeper into your relationship.
Third is Heat. Heat is what comes out of a fire so we need to maintain what comes out of us. And it all starts with being in the right atmosphere. You have to set yourself up to prosper in conditions that benefit you. Practically this means going out to the movies with your friends instead of hitting up Johnny's party - where you know lots of bad decisions could take place. My all time favorite thing Pastor Devon said was that we always go to God's house, but we never bring him to ours. So maybe it is time for you to open the door and let God into the parts of your life that you feel aren't good enough. Invite him over, talk to him, form a relationship with him and I promise your life will change.
So many students made the decision this weekend to give their life to Jesus and it filled me with so much joy watching them worship and transform before my eyes into young people that are truly on fire for Jesus. I love my church and everything I get to do, but more importantly I love seeing God use my gifts to reach and connect those around me to everything he has for them. Momentum 2018 is something I will never forget, buuuuttttt will Momentum 2019 top it?
p.s. Have to pay my respects to Devon Frye. He came up and preached the lights out of this message and stirred up something in my heart that I couldn't ignore. Thank you Devon for coming to Momentum and taking time out of your week to be a vehicle for change in these students.
xo Christy